Bee forage check
How good is this spot for honey bees?
Enter an address or tap the map. You'll see which bee plants and crops are within flight range (about 3.7 miles, with nearer land counting more), when the honey flow comes and when there's a dearth, nearby water, a few things worth checking, and how the spot ranks against random sites in your state and across the country.
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The colors are the national forage map: every square kilometer of the lower 48, scored the same way. See the honey flow for your state and town, the best and worst spots we found, or how the scoring works.
Forage report for 37.9809, -122.5079
Estimated forage here is better than about 80% of sites in California. Against other California sites it stands out most in fall (72nd percentile) and lowest in summer (58th). Biggest nearby bee crops: grapes (nearest 1.8 mi S); safflower (nearest 3.7 mi N, grown 1 of the last 5 years). Nearest mapped water: mapped stream or canal (may be dry in late summer), less than 0.1 mi away. 2 things to watch (below).
Ranking
- Continental US: 85th percentile (spring 94th, summer 33rd, fall 38th)
- California: 80th percentile (spring 68th, summer 58th, fall 72nd)
- Central California Foothills and Coastal Mountains: 48th percentile (spring 20th, summer 44th, fall 48th)
Percentile among 3,000 random land points across California, scored the same way; land in general, not beekeepers' yards.
Season
- First forage: Jan 1 — Dandelion, Maples, Clovers: white, alsike and red
- Main flow: Jan 16 to Apr 30 — Clovers: white, alsike and red, Dandelion
- Season ends: Sep 30
Bee crops nearby
- Grapes: about 1 acres in a typical year, nearest 1.8 mi S, blooms early Apr – late Apr
- Safflower: about 5 acres in a typical year, nearest 3.7 mi N, blooms early May – early Jun
- Grapes: about 10 acres in a typical year, nearest 3.6 mi N, blooms early Apr – late Apr
What the honey would be made of
- Spring honey (March to June): Clovers: white, alsike and red, Dandelion, Summer-flowering shrubs, Garden flowers; extra light amber
- Summer honey (July and August): Garden flowers, Dandelion, Clovers: white, alsike and red; light amber
- Fall honey (September to November): Garden flowers, Fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster); amber
- Whole season (March to November): Clovers: white, alsike and red, Dandelion, Garden flowers, Summer-flowering shrubs; extra light amber
Things to watch
- Heavily developed. About 71% of the land within a mile is developed. Less room for forage, and more neighbors near the hives.
- Bee crops nearby that are often sprayed. Grapes (all types): insecticides used on about 58% of surveyed US acres (2021); Grapes, wine type: insecticides used on about 56% of surveyed US acres (2025); Grapes, table type: insecticides used on about 50% of surveyed US acres (2025); Grapes, raisin type: insecticides used on about 77% of surveyed US acres (2025). Figures are from USDA's Agricultural Chemical Use Survey, matched by crop type from the crop map. The survey counts any insecticide use in the crop year (not seed treatments) and doesn't say when; ask nearby growers about spray timing.
- Flood map not checked. FEMA's flood map service didn't answer. Check it directly.
An estimate from public maps (USDA crop maps 2021-2025 averaged, LANDFIRE vegetation), not a survey of the ground. Maps can't see garden plantings, understory density, other beekeepers' hives, or this year's weather. Honey composition is a nectar-source estimate, not a pollen analysis. Benchmark 2026.5. How this works.